Building lighting control management systems are designed to help automate the adjustment of lighting levels inside buildings to appropriate levels, often while also attempting to reduce unnecessary lighting and energy use. Typically, such systems use either a completely decentralized or completely centralized approach.
Decentralized systems enable quick local response but are unable to provide centralized information regarding the full state of the building. Fully centralized systems can be slow to respond to changes in conditions and require large stores of data. The systems are typically designed around the optimization of a single parameter or a single function inherently balancing multiple parameters. Where a single parameter is optimized, usually either comfort or energy, the impact the system has on multiple performance parameters is overlooked. Existing methods typically do not allow for flexibility in addressing variable conditions across a space nor do they allow for the incorporation of variable preferences. These systems are also incapable of truly optimizing restricted energy resources across a building and cannot inform decision makers of the performance costs of energy use reduction. Moreover, such systems are not able to provide rapid updating and response times, especially in large buildings. Accordingly, there is a need in the art for improved lighting control systems that address these outstanding problems. It would also be desirable to provide a system that allows a building manager to assess the tradeoffs between energy use and quality of service provided to occupants.